Housing development, council policy on first agenda of new Bundaberg council

The approval of a controversial and unpopular relocatable home park aimed at addressing Bundaberg’s housing crisis will be high on the agenda of the new council’s first ordinary meeting, and that is not all.

A 263-unit gated community development application and changes to controversial council policies will be on the agenda at the first meeting of the 2024-2028 Bundaberg council.

The approval of a controversial relocatable home park and changes to key council policies will be on the agenda for Bundaberg council’s first ordinary meeting on April 30, 2024.

Following the council’s acceptance of former CEO Steve Johnston’s resignation on April 9, interim CEO Stuart Randall ran a briefing meeting on Tuesday for Mayor Helen Blackburn and councillors ahead of the first ordinary meeting of the new council.

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In a steep learning curve for new councillors on the art of balancing local public opinion against the needs of the broader community, the council will decide the fate of a development application for a relocatable home park on Lovers Walk in the urban fringe suburb of Woongarra.

If approved, the development will be built in 10 stages on a 14.7ha parcel of land in Woongarra bounded by Bundaberg Ring Rd, Chards Rd, McCarthy Rd and Elliot Heads Rd.

The application, first lodged with council in March 2023 by Insite SJC on behalf of Melbourne developer Bennett Williams Lifestyle Communities, said the development was aimed at meeting growing demand in the community for affordable seniors living.

Citing state government statistics showing sharp growth in the number of people waiting for social housing in Bundaberg, the development, while targeted at the over-50’s, would free up housing stock available throughout the community for all age groups, the proposal said.

If approved, 263 cabins designed by award-winning local architect Tomas O’Malley will be built in 10 stages on a 14.7ha parcel of land bounded by Bundaberg Ring Rd, Chards Rd, McCarthy Rd and Elliot Heads Rd.

In a public consultation phase between September 14 and October 9, 2023, 38 properly made submissions were received from members of the public all objecting to the proposal.

The development application proposes 263 one- and two-bedroom cabins designed by local award-winning architect Tomas O'Malley.

Concerns with the development’s impact on traffic and stormwater infrastructure and fears the site is a proxy social housing project were among the objections raised by the public.

“My objection is that this development is an extremely high‐density project extremely close to residential homes,” said one submission.

“It is not consistent with existing residences and there is not adequate infrastructure to accommodate the existing families let alone a motorhome complex housing some 200 more homes!”

Another submitter said they “wouldn’t feel safe having such high density living so close to my home”.

In response to the public submissions and a request for modifications to the proposal by council, the developer provided updated plans including acoustic barriers to reduce the impact on surrounding residents and upgrades to the intersections of Chards Rd with Elliot Heads Rd and McCarthy Rd to minimise traffic congestion.

Council’s development assessment manager Richard Jenner, who presented the application to council, recommended the approval of the application subject to conditions including the provision of a bus shelter with regular services for residents.

In Tuesday’s meeting Ms Blackburn also asked for “a more comprehensive report in relation to the aquatic centre” to be included in the financial summary delivered in the next council meeting, in line with her election commitment to “open the books” on the beleaguered project voiced during the campaign.

Other notable items flagged for consideration in the next meeting included the adoption of changes to council policies.

Changes to 12 policies were flagged following workshops and discussion by councillors, including the acceptable request guidelines, delegations and legal assistance for councillors and employees policies.

The acceptable requests guidelines policy appeared prominently in the state ethics committee’s May 2023 findings that former mayor Jack Dempsey was guilty of contempt of parliament for attempting to share a confidential document detailing a complaint made against him by former division 5 councillor Greg Barnes.

As president of the Bundaberg Regional Ratepayers Association, Ms Blackburn had criticised the delegations policy on numerous occasions, saying it had gone too far in empowering the CEO to act unilaterally without the knowledge or approval of elected councillors.

During the 2024 council election campaign she flagged a review of the CEO’s delegated powers as one of the priorities for her first 100 days in office if elected.

The acceptable requests guidelines policy appeared prominently in the state ethics committee’s May 2023 findings that former mayor Jack Dempsey was guilty of contempt of parliament for attempting to share a confidential document detailing a complaint made against him by former Division 5 councillor Greg Barnes.

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While Mr Dempsey was found guilty of contempt of parliament and made to issue a written apology, his CEO Mr Johnston was found not guilty for his role in obtaining the document from Mr Barnes’ council email account due to the protections of the acceptable request guidelines policy.

Originally published as Housing development, council policy on first agenda of new Bundaberg council